Ruins and Transformation.
Greta felt it. Her necklace started a few days ago to emit a strange hum. She thought nothing of it until she tried one last time to get the Altar of the Oracles to work for her. But as she drew close a bolt of energy arced out and knocked her a good distance away. Once she regained consciousness she was annoyed at the similarities between this bolt and the other one she had experienced recently. That undead goat claimed to be the powerful high priest killed a century ago. The old books claimed that priest could hurl energy as if it was water... as he demonstrated before he departed the caverns; now in hindsight she admitted she overreacted and deserved it.
A few days ago the altar started acting strange... very strange. One of her priest went before it to attempt the age old ritual but as he got within a few yards a bolt of energy flew outwards and vaporized him. Only his shoes and bits of his robes remained. When the news was reported to her she couldn't believe it. Now she was thankful she wore the necklace; it once again proved it protected her from the arcane.
"High Priestess... perhaps the altar simply became unstable. It has been operating for over millennia without a caretaker. We simply do not know how to fix it."
She glared at him. "It was made by the paws of a mammal, therefore it can be fixed. Have the librarian, the one that helped me recently, go through the archives. Surely there are manuals describing how it worked. If he can't find it... perhaps he might have an idea. I'll grant him leeway; he is as interested in finding the Headmaster's Necklace as I am. Therefore he is motivated and I'll reward his failure as if he succeeded... because he will leave no stone unturned."
She was annoyed at having to wait. The male honey badger's health was deteriorating; therefore she had no choice but to allow proper sustenance at least long enough so his health would recover. A dead honey badger was worthless and she still had plans for him. All that was needed was to keep him weakened just enough so he could not escape.
Paulina and Clare were sitting in the back of a large military truck. They were accompanied by Team Lima. Following were the trucks carrying the technicians and their equipment from the Oracle's hidden valley. The trip was delayed because the transporter pad at the Oracle Library was inoperable and it was uncertain if a forced restart would prove more disastrous. If rubble was lying on or across the pad, it would be quite unpleasant materializing with this inside one's body. Therefor it was decided to have everyone travel to the site and find the transporter; once it was found they would know why it was inoperable.
Colonel Kohle had the previous day sent GSD teams Charlie and Echo to sweep the area and these remained overnight just to make sure it remained so; there was evidence the Dark Priesthood had been here recently but for whatever reason they left. These also reported strange readings coming from the large orb, and kept a healthy distance away. Dr. Bevyton sent a technician to take readings and confirmed the altar was malfunctioning. Since Hilda said the oracles were sending technicians there she recommended everyone stay a certain distance away. Today these two teams confirmed the area remained free of intruders.
Paulina and Clare got out of the truck soon as it stopped with Team Lima helping them down. They briefly watched the other trucks offload their occupants before starting to walk the short distance to the orb. Word had been sent that something was odd about it therefore a no-go zone was placed around it, more imaginary than actually seen. Still from this distance nobody needed to tell them this; their senses attuned to their necklaces told them something was wrong. Today there was an unfamiliar feeling about the area; it didn't feel the same as it did back on that day they first was here.
Just as they turned around the corner Murphy's Law activated... in the form of a purplish bolt of energy that streaked from the far side of the compound surrounding the orb. It grazed Clare's shoulder and barely missed Paulina; behind them several yards away a mammal screamed in pain. The two oracles didn't have time to look back to determine its fate; there was only one reason this occurred and it was determined to kill either or both oracles. Paulina and Clare kept low as both grasped their necklaces and concentrated; they didn't need to give chase but they could track it and advise the teams where the other priest was hiding.
The dark priest was forced to leap behind a stone pillar as Team Lima returned fire, joined shortly by the other two teams that thankfully had perfect angles of fire; Team Charlie was on their left side and Team Echo on their right side. Now all three team were moving towards the intruder, bullets could kill just as effectively as energy and this was not lost on the fleeing dark priest. Holes appeared in its robe that were dangerously close to something vital, and parts of the robe flapped in the breeze as it ran towards safety.
"Apologies priestesses... we should have detected that one sooner. Injuries?" Agent Minksin knelt beside them doing a quick visual on both.
Paulina glanced at the mink agent before returning her attention to her friend. "The foul one's energy is growing faint. I suspect there is a hidden door not too far from where it once stood. I think it was surprised to discover your teams here and crouched out of sight. Obviously it sensed us before we were aware it was here; I will not make that mistake again... we appear unharmed, not counting Clare's robe."
Clare placed her paw on the mink's paw. "I'm ok. Still stings but it just grazed my fur a bit. My foot hit a small depression and I almost fell down. If not for that unintended misstep... it would have hit straight on. That would have..."
A long pause occurred before she spoke again. "Paulina... go see if you can find that trap door. I'll check on our guests behind us."
Clare moved quickly before friend could respond. Paulina looked at the lynx for a moment, obviously concerned for her. Then she trotted towards the location she thought where the door opening should be.
Crystal clicked her mic. "Lima team leader to team... cover the package. Team Charlie and Echo... package will find the mole."
"Echo Leader to Team Lima... we got you covered."
"Charlie Leader to Team Lima... ditto for us."
Before the priestess could make it anywhere close to the suspected site, an explosion rocked the area. After the dust cleared a small crater lay at the site.
Crystal cued her mic. "Everyone back to posts. Obviously they predicted this."
The ruse worked perfectly.
He wasn't certain Kimberly's plan was going to succeed, but when the machine stopped and gathered her team he signaled his to get moving. He hoped they weren't detected as they boarded the machine and found hiding places. Agent Rodgers was already whispering through her comlink that she was searching through the operating system for a way to shut down this machine, so far having no luck. It seemed as if this machine was an early prototype of those that constructed the bunkers, thus it didn't have nearly the amount of automation.
When the machine stopped and the elder lion in fancy garb entered, the GSD team exited and searched for new hiding places outside where they could extract the tracker team. What he didn't expect was the large group of mammals with devices that suspiciously looked like scanners; these were obviously alerted to something and moving towards the GSD team.
"Move it... we got incoming!"
His attention was split; his pip-boar registered the lion and his guards killed by Kimberly, but it also registered another group of mammals that suddenly exited from stealth and subdued the tracker rabbit. Unfortunately these also killed her team and a wolf now held down Kimberly and to his great surprise the lion reappeared as if nothing had happened. He ran another check... the results was inconclusive and a message appeared onscreen stating a medical exam would be required. His Pip-boar registered many more mammals now entering the machine and many more circling around and coming towards them. A bracket he recognized as a mediaeval torture device was brought out from the machine with Kimberly tied to it. He was formulating a plan when Agent Rodger's voice crackled from his radio.
"Night vision on... draw weapons. Lights going out... Now."
The cavern plunged into its natural condition. Mammals used to low-light suddenly found themselves in pitch blackness. His team didn't wait. They quickly tranq-darted as many mammals as they saw through the goggles, gasps making it clear a hit was achieved and many unconscious bodies now lay on the floor. Moments later his pip-boar showed no conscious bodies nearby except those he wanted. He removed his night vision goggles and turned on a small flashlight, and then headed to where Kimberly was tied up. Agent Walker and Golden were already removing the restraints and consoling the rabbit.
"Apologies for not saving your team. I didn't expect your former associates to have stealth devices."
Savage turned looking at Agent Rodgers as she arrived.
"Boss... I have the main breaker disabled. They will have to replace it to restore power."
Kimberly looked up. "Did anyone see where the chancellor went?"
Rodgers tapped a few commands on her wrist device. "Pip-boars says they got away. That wolf was holding the lion and forcing him to run and dunk. By the way... do you know who the wolf is?"
Kimberly stifled a tear. "Grand Tracker Magnus Strongpaw. He was my Instructor, my first team leader... and now the chancellor's personal tracker."
Agent Golden held her paw. "Now he's in our top ten of who to remove. We'll make an effort to see to it you get first dibs. But I can't promise you'll get the killing blow. Mindy will never forgive us if we fail to bring you home."
This earned him a peck on his muzzle and a soft paw hitting his shoulder from Agent Walker.
"All right team... let's load up and get outta here. Think you can drive this thing, Stella?"
"Can I drive it... do bears defecate in the woods?"
"Not in Zootopia." Agent Golden said, and dunking as a paw aimed towards his head.
"Should we throw out the bodies? Not our Tracker friends" Agent Walker asked.
Savage put a paw on Kimberly's shoulder. "No... we'll keep every one, bad guys included. I want to know why Kimberly didn't recognize the impostor. Something tells me nine lives barely scratch the surface."
As the machine rumbled through the tunnel towards the surface, two pairs of eyes watched it leave. When they were certain it was a reasonable distance away the wolf deactivated the stealth device. The chancellor was not happy the rabbit got away, but he had minions available to send to her new home.
It was too bad his brother was now among the dead; and soon the Zootopians would know the secret his littermates kept close to their chests. His litter was medical mystery: all four were identical genetically, thus each could impersonate the other and pass the scanners with ease. The nursemaid was the first to suspect the anomaly, and since she smelled an opportunity for profit she falsified their birth records. Each time they underwent genetic scans she made sure the results were changed to show the normal genetic differences between siblings. She trained them in subterfuge and the art of deception and guile. It was she that suggested they work their way into becoming an Alpha, and through her guidance they worked as a team to eliminate the next ranking Alpha. To increase their family's stranglehold they had one of their brothers pretend to be from another pride; thus like dominoes they killed and moved up in rank until their family occupied two positions. Over a period of years they did this until they held the chancellor's position and Alpha One.
Now they took turns pretending to be the chancellor and Alpha One. But power corrupts and it was no different with these. Their nursemaid by now was a very elder lioness, and her control on them now waned. When Alpha Twelve's trial was held and the chaos ensued, it was their fourth brother sitting as the Chancellor of the Twelve that was killed... fortunately their second and third brothers was nearby to quickly carry his body away before the medics arrived, it was the second brother's wounds they tended.
Three siblings remained... until today. The Zootopians were responsible for killing two of their brothers... and their ruse now was in jeopardy.
He sent a text message to his brother informing him of the death; now they needed to get their minions in Zootopia General Hospital to recover the body and cremate it quickly as possible. If they discovered the family secret it was possible the Chancellor of the Syndicate would soon find out. It was their siblings constant monitoring them that kept the Syndicate off-balance, and it was their siblings keeping the chancellor's equipment running all day-all night that enabled them to know precisely where the syndicate was at all times. Thus they kept control of them by subtle means; just as their nursemaid had taught them.
Hilda was in the communications room. Getting the Sanctum re-staffed was going slower than she preferred, but at least Maximillian and Nathan made things much easier. The kitchen was first to be staffed followed closely by the mammals assigned as guards at entrances and near the transporters. These were more to ensure orderly movements through the Sanctum as well as ensuring the transporters weren't being overused. Maintenance wanted minimal usage until they could determine all were operating properly. It would be unfortunate if a group materialized with mismatched body parts.
The new technician was busy cleaning and adjusting the ancient equipment that to her eyes seemed to have only a light layer of dust. He found corrosion inside them and had replacement parts fabricated, these weren't coming fast enough for him and she had to calm him down. Just because Hilda was nearby didn't mean he was in trouble, she simply was fascinated by the various gizmos he was testing. She found out almost every piece of equipment in this room was exactly what was installed throughout the many villages, hence explaining why he was so familiar with them.
"Oracle... the system is now operational. Shall we look into the database and see what it contains?"
"I'd like to know what was occurring within the Sanctum during the timeframe of the Great War. Condense it down if possible."
"An overview, you mean?"
"Yes."
As his paws moved over the keyboard the hologram shimmered into view beside them. With its help the proper timeframe was found. Hilda whistled... the similarities between what happened so long ago were eerily similar to how the attack against Zootopia by the Dark Council. The Great War started as a series of subtle attacks against lone oracle priests akin more like an accident than an ambush; gradually progressing in violence until the council concluded these simply were not as they portrayed themselves. Just as the ZPD consolidated officers together and then put two cruisers patrolling together, so too did the council. Yet still the ambushes continued and increased in frequency.
Finally when the oracle's membership was half of its original strength, the Dark Priesthood made an open attack. It struck first at various outposts operated by the oracle council and when the council consolidated its members at the Oracle Library that was the last and final battle. The Dark Priesthood killed the villagers first; mostly using their life essence to restore what the battle damaged their own bodies. They had disabled the transporter pads to prevent the oracle council from transporting reinforcements or evacuating the injured. This also prevented battle droids from transporting in, and by end of that day all oracle priests lay dead. But it was then that the other priest factions arrived and drove these dark priests out of the valley, causing them to lose all but a couple pawful of their members.
"Why was the Gatekeeper still active?"
The hologram shimmered. "Because no one in the Sanctum knew the last remaining oracle had been killed, not counting those in the medical beds. The staff was still waiting for the wounded to return just as they had all throughout the battle. Unfortunately there was a contaminant brought back with the last group of oracles, the ones whose bones still lay on the medical beds. This contaminant quickly spread throughout the Sanctum and killed the remaining staff. Once the main computer deduced this cotangent was not natural it was obvious it was a bioweapon, and thus completely new with no antidote readily available. When the biohazard warning sounded the last remaining oracle that was still conscious, a bishop, ordered the computer to seal every window and door in the complex... thus isolating the Sanctum from the valley."
"Shortly after this no further communication was received or acknowledged from neither the Headmaster nor the oracles fighting at the Library of the Oracles. With his dying breath the bishop transferred operational control over to the Grand Technician; only the Headmaster could grant total control of the Sanctum to a non-oracle. This would allow the various holograms to continue operating throughout the villages and the outlying outposts. The Valley of the Gatekeeper and the Library of the Oracles are two such outposts. It was this action that enabled the generations between then and now to maintain their technical know-how and thus be ready when the Sanctum once again opened for all."
Hilda remained quiet for a few moments; the technician recognized what she was doing and remained patient.
"Can any transporter connect to the Headmaster's Study?" Hilda asked this obviously hoping for a quick and easy way to get there.
"No... Only one transporter at the Oracle Library had the means to access his study. Only a select few transporters in this facility had the ability to interface with his transporter pad at the Oracle Library before finally connecting to his study. His transporter was a private one and its location was never known by the villagers. His was hidden in a discrete corner of the library, practically in a dangerous place. I will mark its location in your control crystal, should you find the location call back and tell us what you found."
As the hologram deactivated the technician pressed a few buttons and then confirmed new data was entered into her crystal. He suggested she go and verify this information in person; as with all things it was highly classified and a messenger simply wouldn't suffice. Hilda grinned; a trip away from this place was exactly what she needed. She thanked him and sent word for Maximillian and Nathan to meet her in the library section where they first met.
The Hopps Family was gathered in the family mausoleum. It was deemed proper since these mammals gave their lives in an effort to save their kin from continued servitude to those who ruthlessly ruled over them, they deserved a proper burial. If at some later time their families wanted to claim their remains, the Hopps would surrender them gladly hoping they understood the respect that was paid and a proper funeral given. Kimberly, Mindy, and Bridget said bodies were cremated or thrown into the deepest crevice underground.
Reverend Cloverton led the ceremony just as if these were well-respected members of his church. Some of the Hopps kits stood and spoke what they experienced with these mammals. It was surprising how integrated these had become in the Hopps household. Some were tutors, patiently helping with a difficult math or technical problem. Some were patient listening to a bunny griping about a chore he-she had to do. Others had become unofficial dating coaches, helping bunnies understand why the opposite sex simply didn't behave as the textbooks or the Instructor in the Adult Indoctrination Class said they would. Last to speak was the Canter Family.
Bridget and Mindy said many nice words. Bridget telling how their mother were patient and tried their best to guide these mammals to be more than what the Dark Council deemed them to be. Mindy told how young mammals struggled to get into their chosen career, only to be given a *take it or die* option chosen by the council. But it was Kimbery's heartfelt describing what each meant to her. They were like family to her; each bickering at times just like siblings, but coming together when it mattered most. She swore to avenge them... but acknowledged in the words recently said to her by Agent Golden: *she may not be the one that pulls the trigger, but she would be the one to bring the wolf and his master to justice*.
When the cover of each chamber was placed and sealed, everyone left to enjoy the meal. Many neighbors were there to serve them and lend a shoulder when necessary. It was strange that only the Canter Family wore black; nevertheless the presence of the priest kept questions to a minimum. Albert, Floyd, and Stu answered their questions regardless, simply saying these deceased were dear friends of the Canters who happened to endear themselves their family.
Team Charlie and Team Echo finished their sweep of the immediate area and declared it safe. The technicians promptly measured the energy emanating from the large orb. A flurry of activity quickly occurred and soon the orb's light faded until gone; the location of the power to it was nearby and the access hatch was still sealed after all these millennia. The technicians monitored the energy levels and after many minutes determined full protective gear was necessary for everyone within a certain distance.
"It's what we feared... neutronian radiation leakage. The coil is obviously damaged as you can see by the darkened spot at this part of the base... most likely from a bolt sent towards a Dark Priest from an oracle. We'll have to neutralize the radiation, dismantle the base and pull the orb off it; afterwards we'll pull the coil out and install a new one and reassemble everything. That's an over-simplification what will be done. In actuality it will take the better part of two days to complete repairs. Then we have to troubleshoot what caused it to do what you described. That... could take another few days."
Paulina and Clare weren't the only ones to whistle. The GSD teams nearby did as well.
"We'll be out of your fur then."
The two oracle priestesses turned around just in time to see Hilda walking towards them with a lynx and hare following.
"We found what could lead us to discover why the Headmaster was never heard from again. We'll need the services of at least one GSD team to come with us."
Agent Minksin gathered Team Lima and headed out following the general direction Hilda said. The orb turned out to be in an area more like a small park akin to many found throughout Zootopia. Stone benches suitable for two mammals, probably no larger than a bear, were throughout the area. Beyond this the buildings resembled something those found in ancient Athens or Rome; stone columns decorated the doorways with porticos extended outwards and just enough on either side to allow occupants to sit on stone benches out of the weather. Colonnades went between buildings following the terrain, some were in straight lines and others curved following a hillside. Some had a walkway instead of a roof with a railing to prevent accidental falling off, some covered by a roof. The eaves and soffits extended far enough to keep rain from landing inside, maybe not from a strong breeze.
The buildings themselves had ceiling-length windows that were long and narrow with glass panes; some colored and others clear. It was obvious the battle extended among these; many windows were shattered in whole or the lower edges. The front of many of these buildings had a wide stoa, a portico extending outwards from the building allowing students to travel from one classroom to another in fresh air. Stone benches along the wall and outer edges made it clear this could be used as a promenade. Some buildings were multi-story and had portico extending from these levels. A few multi-story buildings were obviously not classrooms; these had no portico except on what appeared to be front and rear. Nearby these were a few cabanas just far enough away to have privacy but close enough to be within earshot. Everywhere darkened patches indicated where a battle once occurred.
Beyond this complex, which was large enough to be a decent-size village in itself, was rolling hills. Team Lima moved ahead scouting and looking for trouble. The three priestesses and a small group of technicians came up behind them at a respectable distance, waiting and stopping as directed. Beyond these hills they found a cliff; it was apparent the path they were following obviously extended beyond but the cliff had collapsed eons ago. Far below them rubble from what could be described from a stone structure; the blocks were large enough to make it obvious they were carved and once belonged to some structure that once stood here.
Agent Ricardo, a male pika, starred at his screen "Scans indicate something down there once was electronic, but these readings suggest it's so corroded as to not be identifiable."
"May I see the data?"
A mink came up beside him and after the pika turned his screen so the mink could see both looked at the readings. The pika took out a device and entered some commands, then waited for it to complete whatever it was doing. A beep and data scrolled across the screen. Both mammals watched the data; Agent Ricardo adjusted his device and both of them watched new data scroll on his screen. Finally both turned off their devices and faced the group.
"Data suggests this once was the location of the Headmaster's personal transporter. Only way to be certain is to excavate the rubble below and see if the data module remains intact. If it is we can assemble a new transporter and attach a diagnostic remote. This will allow our diagnostic droid to determine if the transporter in the Headmaster's Study is operational... and we can send a small sentinel droid through to determine if his study remains intact. More importantly... if anything lies across the pad."
Agent Ricardo was surprised. "You can do this? Why didn't you think about it before we left?"
The mink looked at the pika with annoyance. "I did. My superior overruled me. He thought the Dark Priesthood was watching and if we did discover the village transporter was operational, it would give them a heads up. By now they would control it and we would be watching the front doors guarded by an army. His point was valid... they could have used it to find the Headmaster's personal transporter. They would have found what these priests were looking for and all mammalkind would be watching them slowly overthrow the known world."
A sound behind them alerted everyone, and just as soon they relaxed. Colonel Kohle and an elder beaver were being escorted by Team Alpha. The dog spoke first.
"We just wanted you to know the village transporter was located; it was destroyed in the Great War."
Agent Minksin pointed down the cliff. "So too was the Headmaster's personal transporter. Looks like we have some work to do."
Kohle scratched his chin for a moment. "Can we make another transporter? Will it be able to interface with the Headmaster's Study?"
Grand Technician Beverton scratched his chin, and then acknowledged the mink excitedly waving his paws. "What is it you wish to say?"
"Sir... if the data module remained intact then I think we can. Once its operational I suggest we send a reconnaissance droid through first; it'll let us know the status of the place and if the transporter's activation causes a collapse our transporter will display an error code. This code will tell us how far along the activation sequence went and if it shut down due to insufficient power or power loss due to being severed."
The elder beaver patted the mink's shoulder and congratulated him. "Well done young one! I'm assigning you to head up this project. You get to decide where the new tower will be placed and let me know what equipment and materials you need. Use this data chip... it has the original specs and modifications last used on his transporter. Hopefully the recovered data module contains his transporter's location."
It wasn't only the GSD team whose heads turned.
Agent Ricardo stammered. "You don't know it?"
The elder beaver smiled. "This transporter was the only one capable of connecting to his; thus the only one allowed keeping the most recent data. It was done purposeful and as a security precaution. If the original tower still stood, we would have had to undergo a lengthy interrogation to prove we are who we say we are. The guardians were designed to prevent an army from accessing it."
Removing the orb from the base proved more troublesome than anticipated. More damage was found inside once the base started to be disassembled. Droids designed to mitigate radiation was taking longer than expected to do their job, considering how long it had been operational this was not entirely unexpected. Grand Technician Beverton halted further disassembly until the droids could scrub the remaining neutronian radiation residue in the area around the orb. Hours went by and nerves and irritation started to show.
By now the Zootopian mechano-droid was finishing its tasking in Vulpinstan. The mechano-droid commandeered by Team Bravo had been sitting idle when Agent Rodgers heard about the radiation problem the technicians were experiencing over at the Oracle Library. After consulting Senior Technician Pangolin and confirming the machine could safely remove contaminated rock, she requested permission to take the machine to the library and make quick work of the contaminated ground. Senior Technician Pangolin said her records showed this machine removed radiation to supplement its power thus effectively removing it.
Director Dench, after receiving a report on the situation, authorized the mechano-droid originally sent to Vulpinstan on a rescue mission to go along; mostly because it was an advanced model and thus might work better. Grand Technician Beverton asked her for permission to use either machine on a project to rebuild a tower he said was of vital importance. Once Colonel Kohle verified what the technicians had in mind she agreed and wanted to visit it when completed. She would swing by on the trip necessary to brief the king of Vulpinstan and check in on the Rorschach Family.
Now it was a waiting game until the two machines cleaned the radiation.
Agent Ricardo's eyes weren't the only one bloodshot. Technician Minkowski rubbed his and sipped a strong cup of black tea. It was long hours of painstaking digging around until they finally found the data module. The collapse of the original tower they theorized was due to several massive explosions, and these could have come from any number of sources. The mink couldn't rule out some of these were caused by the energy cores of the robotic guardians, but he was certain the ones that took out the base of the tower were set by outside forces.
Now the module was safely back at his village workshop; several technicians were carefully cleaning and restoring it so the data inside could be recovered. The glass-like coating was theorized as coming from the synthetic drapes that hung from the inside walls as one climbed up the stairs. Obviously a fire started and these melted more than burned, thus falling onto and encasing the module. It was sheer luck it was not crushed by the large stone block walls as the tower collapsed down the cliff.
"I've decided instead of rebuilding somewhere on the cliff, the new tower will have its foundation starting at the base of the cliff and extending above the top. Data given to me shows erosion of the cliff was a concern back then and plans already made to do exactly this. I'll just re-engineer the new one to have a better foundation and the lower levels to house a much more powerful generation unit. This should enable a quicker response from the Sanctum transporting semi-directly to the Headmaster's Study."
"Why not put a transporter pad in the middle and have them climb up to the pad that will send them to the Headmaster's?"
The mink gave the pika an annoyed look.
"There's a reason it was allowed to have a semi-direct transport; high-ranking mammals don't want to wait the extra time it takes to go from one transporter pad to another, especially if it involves walking."
"Then put in a small elevator? How about put a couple transporters in a room and use one for local transport and the other for the pass-through? There's something to be said for preventing unknowns from transporting in without approval."
The mink thought about this. "Perhaps you have a point. I suppose I can insert code that will deposit them here when the Headmaster wishes privacy. But we're getting ahead of ourselves; we don't know the status of the study."
Two brothers sat near a cliff, a couple bodies wrapped like mummies lay on the edge before them. They couldn't allow the extended family here to pay their respects; it had been years since these brothers seen them and thus it didn't bother them at all. But one thing did... these deaths they laid at the paws of the Zootopians. One way or another they will pay, especially since these brothers controlled a powerful organization. But ill news blew in on a foul wind.
Alpha Seven was having a harder time in his war in the Kodiak Range; the Svalbear Empire was reinforced by their Longear Allies and by the Zootopians as well. Alpha Six requested his spouse, Empress Whitefang to assist their Kodiak Allies. She sent her intelligence operatives to assess the situation and requested help from their orca allies. The Lupusdon Empire soon joined the fight and copied the tactics the Longears used; namely riding on the backs of the Kodiak bears and using their weapons like a tank would. Ambassador Takara allowed limited numbers of his forces involved; the majority of the fighting was nowhere near the ocean and being in the rivers was effective but the freshwater was detrimental to the ocean dwellers skin. The Zootopians used their steel-skin fish to kill many orcas, something torpedoes was not designed to do but they effectively deterred the orcas from being more involved in river fighting. The submarines ZNS Tigershark and ZNS Seawolf being of particular pain in their sides.
The Kodiaks were slowly being pushed out of the Svalbear territory; they overestimated their tactics and didn't call upon their allies soon as it was obvious their opponent did. If they didn't change tactics soon defeat would be inevitable. What was annoying the two lion brothers... neither had heard from Alpha Seven in quite some time. The one acting as chancellor had his personal tracker send a team to find the Alpha or determine his status, if killed or merely occupied this was to be reported back.
After completing the simplified funeral ceremony, both pushed the bodies off the cliff and waited as the sounds of these bouncing off the walls let them know how far down the bottom really was. Even after all these millennia and the sheer number of bodies discarded into it... it still took a long time before a very small sound announced these impacted the bottom. They said a silent prayer to their ancestors in the pridelands in the sky asking them to care for these two brethren; they accomplished great things and brought fame to the family. Afterwards they departed and removed the ceremonial clothes of grieving; then got dressed into their respective Alpha attire.
As they walked back to council chambers they discussed how their revenge was to be carried out.
Technician Minkowski walked with the elder beaver throughout the new tower. This had been built in record time which impressed the Zootopians, especially the team of Zootopia Corps of Engineers. It probably helped that Director Dench allowed them to borrow a couple mechano-droids to dig and form a new foundation for the tower. Having a giant machine that melted and reformed rock in any shape certainly was helpful; these created a coffer dam kept the ocean at bay while the muck and organics from the shoreline was removed and the rock underneath was transformed into more durable substance.
The original blocks from the fallen tower was recovered and reused; the new tower being a replica of the original and almost same height. Replacement blocks were hewn from the original quarry and brought in for any missing or those deemed too damaged; these also were for the additional spaces between the seafloor and the top of cliff... which the bottom part easily contained many times the volume and contained more equipment than of the original tower. The space between tower and coffer dam was filled in with suitable material so a small park with trees was made for various purposes. An artificial beach was made at the base of the coffer dam and a seawall built a few hundred yards out so a nice calm bay would protect the tower and please the beachgoers.
The data module casing turned out to have been damaged. Scans indicated it had received a glancing blow that fried some of the circuitry; but thankfully the information about the Headmaster's study was semi-intact. It took the diagnostic computer a week to reconstruct enough data to have a reasonable chance to make an attempt. Hopefully the guardians on the receiving pad would not take their reconnaissance droid as hostile.
Agent Ricardo's eyes grew wide. "There's an actual guardian in there? Why? Surely the ones on this side would be enough?"
This mink looked annoyingly at him. "It is improbable... but not impossible... for the Dark Priesthood to actually get to the Headmaster's study. Just as they knew where the Gatekeeper was located, it would only take determination to search where the transporter teleported someone; thus they would discover where the Valley of the Oracles actually was located. This is why the Gatekeeper is so heavily armored: the Dark Priesthood actually tried once... only once... to get to his electronics control vault. If they kept away they would have saved themselves many priests; enough that could have ensured they ended the battle at the Oracle Library with far less damage to the orb and buildings... and enough remaining to have eliminated the two priest factions that counter-attacked. History would have turned out far different."
Now it was the pika that returned the annoyed look. "Still didn't answer the question. If only one transporter had the location to the Headmaster's study, why the robotic guardian? By your admission it is secret thus no one knows where it is."
Technician Minkowski gave an exasperated exhale of breath. "No secret is ever completely kept that way, even though every effort is made. Just as we now know the Dark Priests tried to gain access to the original transporter tower before they blew up the guardians... that proves they could have found a way to disable them and get inside. Take your stealth boars... with them it would be cubs play to sneak inside and transport to the study."
"How did you know about them? They are Top Secret!"
The mink grinned. "See? No secret is ever completely kept as such. This is why we have measures to safeguard both ends of the transporter. Besides... the original trail that was used to get there before we discovered transporter technology is still there. It's concealed, overgrown with brush, dangerous mammals encouraged living there... even traps and snares that once were maintained. It serves as an emergency escape should a foe succeed in breaking into the study."
Grand Technician Beverton waved his paw. "Enough you two. This is ancient history, even though lessons learned from ancient mistakes will be incorporated into this new tower. Technician Minkowski... you have done a masterful job. Your reward will be to assume control and operations of this tower, unless you wish to save the assignment for something else?"
The mink grinned. "I'll take it, sir. Does it mean I get privileges to return often to the valley?"
The elder beaver chuckled. "Got your eye on a young lass, eh? Well of course it does. That's one of the privileges of being in control... as long as the unit is maintained properly and your guests are kept under control."
"So that's why the addition of a beach and small park, eh?"
The elder beaver smiled. "The previous Towerkeeper had the area around the cliff to raise his family. This new park and beach is for the new Towerkeeper's family; but some elder mammals might want to use them as well. This is the secondary purpose... having company can discourage mischief from cubs as well as oracle students. You'll have upgraded guardians as well."
The conversation changed to something about variations of the tower's design; the elder beaver asked many questions on each change... especially why the transporter pad was now located in a lower-level room along with several others. The mink stated it was his suggestion, if one pad was inoperable the others could be used. These also could be used to evacuate the oracle students in an emergency; something ancient records showed many deaths of students could have been avoided if they had means to do so. As far as students knew this tower was an emergency escape; they wouldn't know about its primary usage until many years later.
Finally the elder beaver departed and the two younger mammals went into the new kitchen and made themselves lunch. They used the satellite communication equipment to access ZNN news and get updated on the outside world.
Bridget watched Kimberly as the younger doe went about packing the personal effects of her team. She felt a pang of pain deep inside her; the now-deceased mammals had imbedded themselves in her soul just as they did the Hopps Family. They enjoyed helping burping and rocking Mindy's litter to sleep, and were careful not to be too loud when they departed the old burrow to go on a mission for Kimberly. It was obvious the Canter Family would miss them for quite some time.
Bridget placed a caring paw on her daughter's shoulder. "Dear... anything I can do?"
The young doe brushed the paw away. "No mother... this has to be done. I'm almost completed and now I'm alone."
"Dear, you're never alone. But if you desire to continue the fight..."
Kimberly snapped. "You wouldn't know! I'm the one that he wants hanging on the rack... the one whose hide must hang so his vengeance will be satiated and bring safety to my family!"
"You misunderstand commitment of others."
Both rabbits turned around at the new voice. Kimberly's ears perked up at what she saw.
Standing beside Opal Hopps was a small group of mammals Kimberly thought she would never see again. These were kithood friends and some were fellow trackers once sworn to hunt her and her family down. As tears rolled down her cheeks she rushed over and tried hugging the entire group at once; but had to settle for two at a time. Opal had stepped aside and now stood next to Bridget; both elder rabbits contently watched the reunion unfold. Now Mindy walked into the room, accompanied by several kithood friends each holding one of her kits still sleeping and unaware they were being held.
"How... why... surely you're marked for death just being here!" Kimberly said between hugging the group.
Tracker Maxwell, a wolf held her close as he sniffed her head fur. "I might have beaten you when we both were training to be trackers... but you clearly set the correct path for others to follow. News spread how Topsiders rescued you... and how you were responsible for the Chancellor's brother's death."
The Canter Family's ears all flew up nearly in unison.
"I didn't stutter. I was there when Alpha Twelve defied the Council of Twelve. I saw the ambush unfold and how the first shots killed the chancellor, mangling his body even as his bodyguards flung their bodies in a desperate attempt to protect him. I was barely lucid when I saw two others dressed identical to him drag the body away, one which returned and placed itself on the chancellor's seat and talked as if it were him. I gathered a neckerchief soaked in the old chancellor's blood and sealed it in an evidence bag just as I had been taught. I also saved a blood-soaked bandage from the impostor... and another that dropped from the second mysterious impostor. When I had the chance I had a genetic scan performed using a machine reserved solely for us trackers' use... all three came back as belonging to the same mammal."
Kimberly wasn't the only one that gasped, but she was surprised the new mammals didn't bat an eye. A couple female rabbits that once were her friends stepped forward and held her paws.
Amanda Grays spoke first. "We couldn't believe it ourselves. After you and your family were officially announced as traitors, we..." the doe pointed to the other doe, "...were assigned to become new medical orderlies. This allowed us to verify the three blood samples. I knew this wolf from the many nights when you two studied late for exams; therefore I could tell he was genuinely shaken. He knew me and entrusted me to run a sample through the medical machine... to say I was shocked all three came back as belonging to the same animal would be an understatement. Since I treated the so-called chancellor and had my own sample of bloodied bandages, I tested these and received the same result."
Charlene Snowshoe looked Kimberly straight in the eyes. "The chancellor is a fraud. Oh... he... they... whatever... probably share the position equally. It explains how stories of him being clearly seen in two different places at nearly the same instant over multiple times. Only a mammal sharing identical genes can fool the computer. We have proof of three."
"Four."
All heads turned towards the new voice. Judy Hopps and her husband walked over and stood beside the Canter Family.
"Team Bravo returned with a body... the one Kimberly here claimed to be the chancellor. Her equipment and those of Agent Rodgers both recorded two mammals as having the same DNA; unfortunately the body of the deceased vanished from the morgue before a complete autopsy could be done. Obviously a medical technician sympathetic to the Servant of Truth's cause removed it. Doesn't matter though... Dr. Bevyton and Dr. Dexter have verified the data. Unofficially the ZPD and GSD consider this as removing another Alpha... more importantly, severely crippling the councils' leadership."
Nick spoke up. "Your wolf friend graciously gave us a few evidence bags with bloody bandages to back-up his words. Should these prove true it will prove the council has been dealt another severe blow. Now should either one of them, the Chancellor or Alpha One... I doubt their feline nine-lives will save their ruse."
Opal cleared her throat, thus getting everyone's attention.
"I'm certain Bridget won't mind all of you moving in to this burrow, providing her grandkits aren't awakened. Therefore choose which rooms you want and I'll have my grandkits help you get comfortable. Those of you who are trackers and scavengers... Kimberly will show you where her operation center is located."
Kimberly's head turned quickly; now many of these looked familiar... especially the one she once knew.
"Grand Tracker Marquis... we meet again. Here to kill me?"
The elder wolf *Piffed* and held her paws. "Never. I serve the Dark Underground... not a singular mammal. I've long suspected the chancellor was more than he seemed. I and my staff will help you and your new allies only as far as ridding our home of this taint; afterwards we will return home. Your family... well, we'll see if the council, the reformed council... if they feel you belong with us. If I could have it my way... you would."
Kimberly held his old gray paws... a genuine smile showing upon her muzzle.
"Here goes nothing."
Technician Minkowski entered the command and watched the electronics spring to life as power flowed through its innards. He watched as data scrolled vertically on several screens, and soon the transporter pads themselves hummed as their electronics received power and each began its pre-operation checklist. Moments went by before one-by-one the equipment and transporter pads settled into proper operation, the various screens displaying all equipment passed initial start-up and now ready to begin attuning to the various other locations. The mink typed in a series of commands and one-by-one the transporters hummed; shortly afterwards small metal boxes materialized slowly instead of with a sudden flash of light.
"It's an improvement one of our forefathers developed a couple centuries ago. Only after the Sanctum opened we were able to begin upgrading the transporters there. The Gatekeeper's transporter is a completely different unit and operates using a different principle. That one we'll leave as-is, mostly because we didn't have access to it so we could study its innards. Now that we do, it'll be a matter of time before it receives upgrades."
Agent Ricardo gave him a thumb's up sign, and watched as the mink sent the boxes back to where they came from. For the next hour the transporters materialized and then dematerialized various objects, each new cycle was an increase in complexity of objects received and sent. Soon dead insect and groups of dead insects were used; then these were mixed in with various objects. It was interesting when the first living insect was transported inside a small cage. The received *thing* was quickly removed and a zphone call made to prepare to redo the test after a few adjustments were made.
Now after many tests in which mammals that never gained sentience were transported and sent back, the real tests began. Both the mink and the pika held their breath. When the transporters finished both released their breath and were relieved. The tank of various mixed species of fishes were whole and the fish swam lazily around inside. Each tank held several types of fish and no two tanks had the same species of fish. After having the diagnostic equipment run a series of tests and the readings and these reporting normal, these were returned to the transporters they arrived from.
"Ok... successful receipt of things from multiple locations simultaneously is a success" the mink said after the transporters stopped their humming.
"Next we start our fellow mammals. Let's pray Murphy and his laws don't interfere" the pika said, obviously receiving a knowing nod.
The next couple hours went slower than previous transports. The mammal went through diagnostic before transport, after materializing here, and after arriving at the original transporter. This increased to two mammals transporting from different locations, and increased until multiple mammals were coming from different locations. The final series of transports was three mammals transporting on same transporter, then two locations sending three mammals each, and increasing until all transporter pads received multiple mammals.
Grand Technician Beverton studied the results as Colonel Kohle looked along with him. Obviously the dog didn't understand most of the data, but the elder beaver explained what was shown.
"This is a successful day... I now proclaim the tower's transporters fully operational. Let's get dinner and tomorrow we'll start the search for the Headmaster's study. I think I'll have the other technicians go over the data recovered from the data module. Perhaps someone might have an idea how to narrow down his location. After all... how many mountaintops can there be in the world?"
Technician Minkowski looked at the elder beaver. "Mountain top?"
Grand Technician Beverton returned his gaze. "Yes... how else would his location be so secluded? The path previously mentioned should have been a clue. Surely you must have noticed these transporters can send a mammal across vast distances? Just as the Gatekeeper is nowhere near the Valley of the Oracles... so too is this tower far away from its intended servitude. The Headmaster desired isolation; therefore an ancient monastery of an ancient religious order was converted for his use."
"Transporting in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Now."
Technician Minkowski pushed the button and the reconnaissance droid dematerialized above the pad. Data scrolled along the screen and continued for longer than they dared hoped. Everyone knew this was a success by the grin spreading across the mink's face.
"Transport complete. Now we wait until the droid auto-transport back here. Thus far we know the ancient systems held up just fine. Wither its power system activated or our transport stream fed it the necessary energy... only the data the droid brings back will tell us. But just to be sure, the droid will connect an emergency battery pack to the auxiliary connector, assuming it remains operational."
Time seemed to slow down as the technicians waited for the droid's return. The overhead monitors displayed data that once was also visible on the technician's consol. As the minutes went by the onlookers read the monitors or busied themselves with other tasking. Some were technicians and their duties were to keep track of the performance of the equipment; others were security guards and still others were non-technicians here to witness this historic event. Zootopians numbers were small, mostly GSD teams and the three priestesses.
A change in sound announced the transporter activation. Guards pointed their weapons; this was merely a precaution. One never knew if the descendants of the original support staff were sending one of their own or it would be the droid... it also could be any number of mammals hostile to them, dark priests or perhaps those that had discovered the ancient facility and had built their own. Technician Minkowski read the data and smiled.
"Receiving droid."
Moments later the droid materialized. Minkowski turned off the transporter and everyone was relieved as the high-pitch sound quickly reduced and then completely disappeared. Another technician went up and inserted a data chip and after a few moments removed it. Quickly it brought the chip and inserted it into data port and typed in a command. Data scrolled on the monitor before it and moments later a grin spread across its face.
"Data shows... stale air, high dust contaminates and no lights. No signs of mammals... at least those sentient. Headmaster's transporter is charging within acceptable parameters. Approximate 15-minutes until we can attempt a second attempt."
Grand Technician Beverton grunted. "Away Team... get ready. Make sure you bring the second power pack... we don't want the first one to suddenly fail and thus leave your team stranded. Get off the pad quickly and secure the area. Do a quick survey; stay inside the transporter room. Let's not chance it with the condition of the Guardians; their condition isn't a priority at the moment and don't hesitate to get back here should the situation warrant it. The auto-transport will kick-in... we'll talk about why later. Oh... don't forget your breathing pack and a couple MRE's."
Hilda was annoyed that she wasn't going with the first team. But it made sense to send security and technicians first; making the ancient transporter stable and no unexpected surprises awaited them was far more important. Once these were acceptable and the Guardians were non-hostile, then she would go. But if what she was told became true... an oracle needed to transport quickly and present itself to the Guardians. The necklace and tiara was the secret key that properly identified the unannounced visitor was genuine, and thankfully all three priestesses wore them. Afterwards she would have to escort the team to the power plant; there was a bad feeling in her in the pit of her stomach. She was told the original Guardians on this side had been destroyed; but nobody could say if the transporter was still functional after this. She hoped it was only a case of tension... but she was certain many things over there were not what she wanted to expect.
Technician Minkowski activated the transporter and he watched the team dematerialize, one group after the other. When they were gone he shut it down. Now the waiting began; and Hilda hated waiting.
High Dark Priestess Greta Dapperclaw squealed with delight. The news was simply more than she dared hoped. No... it wasn't that the librarian had found information on how to repair the Orb of the Oracles, the Zootopians were doing that themselves. No... this was something much better; something that had been a goal of hers for months now. She had forgotten the ancient ways how her order had been created. For centuries they had relied on the quickest method of creating their kind of priests, and forgotten the original methods. Now before her were the results.
The honey badger stood in his cell, no longer showing signs of weakness or his original demeanor. His eyes shone as if they were lights, or at least as if someone was holding a light towards his eyes and they reflected light back like certain night dwelling mammal's eyes did. He was remarkably calm, no longer thrashing and threatening them.
Now she realized this would have been the result if they simply left him alone in that cell inside this rock stratum. This part of the ancient cave was where their first generation of dark priests once trained in. This was where over weeks and months they trained to hone their skills. This is where their bodies slowly transformed from converting food into energy... and becoming solely dependent on needing energy to survive. No longer did they need to eat, but unfortunately they needed to either remain in this rock stratum to survive, or learn how to extract it from living beings.
"Tell me your name, priest."
The honey badger looked at her confused. Of course he would, this was among the first signs he had been converted. "My name... I'm not certain."
Greta grinned. She knew his name, and as long as his full name wasn't uttered until his complete acceptance of his new position was firmly imprinted on his psyche, the newly-converted mammal would slowly over a few days' time come to accept it was always a dark priest.
"We shall call you... Battle Priest Marquis. Before we allow you to walk freely, you will need to learn a few things."
She ordered his cell opened and walked with him to another room. Walls were the same rock, and many priests stood around. Each introduced themselves to him and when done he was sat down and told to rest. Sleeping among friends would relax him; tomorrow will be a busy day of training.